This book is like having a nice glass of wine and some bouillabaisse with an old friend-- Julia takes you along her journey from bureaucrat to francophile's wife to avid amateur chef to the woman who changed cooking in America and makes it sound like a christmas letter to old friends. You see, old Julia (she used to be Julie McWilliams) moved from Southern California to Smith (go women's college alumnae!) to Ceylon (now India), met up with her "egghead" (and shorter-- Ms. McWilliams was no less than 6'2") husband, and ran off to France as Mr. Child was posted to the Paris embassy to work on the American government's "exhibits" (I didn't quite get his job, but there are a lot of strange posts in the government. Julia notes that he works hard, but is underappreciated, and would prefer to spend time tracking down old wines and painting. I don't blame him.) I am insanely jealous that Julia got to live in Paris in the 1950's. What a time to be there-- and she soaks it all up like a sponge. I could go on about the great stories in this book, her gourmand friends, James Beard having a heart attack at her house, but you should really treasure all of these on your own. If you love to eat and love France, pick this up.